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Sudan: A Call to Protect Human Rights During Independence Vote

   Joe DeCapua 07 January 2011

   Amnesty  International is raising concerns about possible human rights
   violations during Sudanâs independence vote.

   Amnesty researcher Rania Rajji, who recently visited the region, says,
   âThe  main  concernâ¦is  growing  on  the  experience that you have of
   Sudan,  which is a culture of human rights violations, especially when
   you see the example of the elections.â

   Sudan held presidential and parliamentary elections in April 2010.

   âIn  the  north,  we  have  obviously  the  National  Intelligence and
   Security  Service,  which  is  known  to detain, harass and intimidate
   opposition  groups  and  minorities.   And  in  the south, during the
   elections,  you  saw harassment and intimidation of voters and members
   of the opposition by the security and police forces.â

   Donât forget Darfur

   Amnesty says itâs also concerned that the independence referendum will
   draw attention away from the situation in Darfur.

   âWe see that the international community is at present focusing on the
   referendum,â  she says, âand considering it a solution to human rights
   in  Sudan,  which  it  is  not.   Because  the conflict in Darfur has
   intensified  in  the  past  month  with  attacks  on  civilians during
   December, while the peace negotiations are failing.

   Amnesty  is  calling  on  the  United  Nations  and  the international
   community  to  view  Sudan  as a whole when it comes to human rights.Â
   Rajji  says,  â(They)  have  to invest in the solution of Darfur and a
   cessation of hostilities in Darfur as the referendum carries on.â

   No election observers, butâ¦

   Amnesty  International  does  not  have election observers assigned to
   southern Sudan during the referendum.

   âAmnesty  does not involve itself in electoral rights and the right to
   vote.   However,  we  consider  human rights to be at the core of any
   election or referendum in the sense that voters have to right to place
   their  vote  without  intimidation.   So, what we have done is send a
   human rights briefing to international referendum monitors asking them
   to   report   any  human  rights  violations  that  occur  during  the
   referendum.â

   Amnesty  says  it  contacted  the  governments in both north and south
   Sudan prior to the vote.

   Rajji  says  the  governments  are  being asked âto make it clear that
   there will be no toleration of any human rights violationsâ¦that there
   are mechanisms in place to report any harassment and intimidation.â

   She  also  says  thereâs  a history of harassment of southerners still
   living in the north by the Khartoum government.

   âWe  have  asked them not to intimidate any voters,â she says, âand to
   just  cease  any  activity  of harassment by the national security and
   other forces in the north.â

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